Ghostery (for Firefox) for Windows

User Reviews

• A really simple and effective add-on.

  claudetunes8/10/2013

  Pros

  So simple to install and very unobtrusive.

  Cons

  Can't find any as yet!

  Summary

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• Mixed feelings

  GranPaw8/8/2013

  Pros

  Blocks a lot of egregious behavior by unscrupulous Internet jackals. Unobtrusive, once the expansion windows close

  Cons

  Makes it harder to get to a lot of things that you want to do (for instance, it take several extra clicks to get to Words With Friends in FB). Popup dialog gets in the way until it finally shrinks away.

  Summary

  I feel more secure with Ghostery running, but I just wish it was more in the background.<br /><br /><span class='notifyMsg'> Updated </span>on Aug 8, 2013<p/>I wish it were more intuitive. If one is not conversant with all of the subtle nuances between the various terminology, (cookies, trackers, beacons, analytics, etc.), this can be confusing when it comes time to decide whether or not to block something. This limits the usefulness to non-experts, who probably need it the most.

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• Love it! Spread the word - trackers beware!

  myrlyn128/6/2013

  Pros

  Very unobtrusive and informative.

  Cons

  None so far.

  Summary

  I agree. This should be installed on every computer!

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• Simple tool gives good insight in tracking cookies

  tokepi8/1/2013

  Pros

  easy seems to work ok once blocked remains blocked

  Cons

  none so far

  Summary

  Nice little tool that doesn't get in the way

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• I had no clue how many people were tracking me

  nlrcop7/13/2013

  Pros

  Has put a stop to others invading my privacy

  Cons

  none that I've found

  Summary

  Ought to be automatically installed on all computers

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• Not Sure How Ghostery Works, Yet

  NYC-HDL5/18/2013

  Pros

  The product installed easily, and without issue.

  Cons

  Pop-Up User Interface is not entirely intuitive.

  Summary

  After just a week of use, I'm not sure what Ghostery does, or how it works. The UI is not particularly intuitive, but was ultimately revealed after clicking on a notice screen. Still, it isn't clear what the impact will be of blocking the elements that are presented as options to allow or deny. I have found that some site content is blocked, then I have to use Trial &#38; Error to re-enable the content.

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• Shame on CNET for recommending it.

  1poorrich5/15/2013

  Pros

  none noticed

  Cons

  It tied up my system until it was uninstalled. Good riddance.

  Summary

  POS

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• Unable to upload photos to facebook

  Jympton23/6/2013

  Pros

  Unobtrusive, but...

  Cons

  Unable to upload photos to facebook

  Summary

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• Not So Hot

  EricVonZipper3/2/2013

  Pros

  Shows tracking stuff on each webpage you visit.

  Cons

  When you click on a page and load it, the tracking stuff had already loaded and tracked your action....then you have to round up the horse after he's left the barn. And, how do you know which tracker is bad and which tracker is OK? It doesn't give you any info about that.

  Summary

  Ever wonder how Ghostery is free? Evidon is savvy enough to know that it can't make money solely by blocking tracking cookies. So, the company had a smart and somewhat devious idea: Why not take its trove of data and sell it to the very companies Ghostery users are blocking? After all, the thinking goes, many ad networks sell their advertisements via real-time bidding, so they often lack a clear idea of where their tags are appearing. In short, online ad networks are just as hungry for information about web users as they are for data about themselves. Ghostery gives them that information. This gives Evidon a clear target market and even clearer plan of attack: Use Ghostery users to build the tracker database, then turn around and license the data to ad networks

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• Controls trackers but may disable site functions.

  whmitty12/28/2013

  Pros

  Blocks trackers.

  Cons

  Sometimes the user must take responsibility for identifying which blocked tracker is disabling some feature on their favorite sites. For example some login submissions may need a specific tracker to function. I had this happen on several sites and it was because the tracker "Ominiture" was not allowed and once I told Ghostery to allow it I could login. It took some trial and error to figure this out because the site had some 8 trackers being blocked. Needless to say this is NOT CONVENIENT.

  Summary

  This product does what it claims in terms of blocking trackers. However, it would be more convenient for the user if the Ghostery development staff provides a way of identifying which trackers might be required on a given site to ensure that site's full functionality.

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